Dodge has a fascinating history of building hot compacts, one prominent example being the Omni GLHS by Shelby, while the Caliber SRT4 marked a low point in terms of style and refinement. For the 2014 SEMA show in Las Vegas, the carmaker has taken its sensible Dart and tweaked it significantly to make it digestible to more discerning enthusiasts.
Painted in bright orange with matte black as a contrast color, and fitted with a prominent rear spoiler and diffuser, this Dart R/T concept looks pleasantly aggressive. But it also looks rather refined, thanks to a revised front fascia that turns the grille into a slit, while creating a large lower air intake visually separated by a body-colored strip. This feeds more air to the intercooler, Dodge says. We say it just looks cool.
The flat-black aluminum hood incorporates a large duct that not only appears awesome, but also feeds extra air to the unspecified engine’s intake box (the hood will be available as a Mopar add-on beginning early next year). Fiat-Chrysler claims the Dart R/T concept seems “poised to strike fear in the competition.” We wouldn’t go that far, but we will say that the package is an impressive improvement over the already sleek-looking Dart. With 18-inch lightweight wheels, a big-brake kit, and adjustable coil-over suspension from the Mopar catalog, it promises better road manners, too.
Who knows—this concept may actually inspire a series-production variant and add another chapter to Dodge’s remarkable history of compact high-performance beasts. Given the Dart’s general “meh”-ness, we think such a car can’t arrive quickly enough.
As read on: http://blog.caranddriver.com/dodge-dart-rt-concept-the-high-performance-compact-dodge-needs-to-build/
Monday, October 27, 2014
Dodge Dart R/T Concept: The High-Performance Compact Dodge Needs to Build
